Listening Together 4

Bringing Heaven to the Classroom 6

Growing Leaders 8

Gangs & the Gospel 12

AMONGChristian Reformed World Missions

Winter 2015 • Volume 4 • No. 1 • www.CRWM.org

2 • AMONG THE NATIONS

A publication of Christian Reformed World Missions

Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) exists to glorify God by leading the CRC to respond obediently to our Lord’s commission to witness to the good news of God’s Kingdom and make disciples of all nations.

For more stories and videos about the work of CRWM, visit us at:www.CRWM.org

Cover Photo:Pastor Kyalo Munyao stands in his pig farm, a project which is the result of CRWM’s Leadership Training efforts.

475 Mainway, PO Box 5070 STN LCD 1Burlington, ON L7R 3Y8

905-336-2920800-730-3490

1700 28th Street SEGrand Rapids, MI 49508-1407

616-224-0700800-346-0075

crwm@crcna.org

AMONG

Missions work takes a different form in every setting. With

different strengths and needs on one mission field comes a different approach to ministry. Yet we can summarize the work of Christian Reformed World Missions in terms of four main categories: leadership development, evangelism and discipleship, Christian education, and community transformation.

In this issue of Among the Nations, you will see all of these aspects of ministry at work as we focus especially on lives that God has changed through leadership development programs.

Over the years, our missionaries have had the privilege of working alongside many passionate and gifted leaders. The Holy Spirit works through these leaders as they serve God’s Kingdom, yet many of them have potential for further growth. As you read through this issue of Among the Nations you will see how missionaries identify this potential and help leaders take their next steps in developing

leadership skills. You will see God working through school teachers like Martha and pastors like Gideon.

With the skills Gideon gained during CRWM training sessions, he now helps improve his church’s community outreach. Even more exciting, Gideon shares with others the skills he has learned. We thank God that examples like these are multiplied across every mission field.

Thank you for partnering in the work of the Gospel through Christian Reformed World Missions. Thank you for your sharing in developing these leaders.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Gary J BekkerExecutive Director

WINTER 2015 • 3

Ebola update In early October, missionaries and their families serving in Sierra Leone were evacuated due to the continued spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

Both Rev. Istifanus Bahago and Rev. Ezekiel Sudu have been serving in Kabala, a region where most of the Christian Reformed Church of Sierra Leone (CRCSL) is located. The missionaries returned to their home country of Nigeria.

Attacks on CRCN ChurchesTwo Christian Reformed Church of Nigeria (CRCN) churches were attacked, and around 30 people were killed during their church services on Sunday, October 19.

Among those who died were Pastor Yohanna of the CRCN in Sondi and his only son. Yohanna served as a pastor for 19 years.

Beginning Service in NigeriaAfter an extensive visa process, George and Sara Ahiome left for service in Abuja, Nigeria, on November 7—praise God!

George’s role will be to encourage, connect, and train leaders from his home country to seek God’s Kingdom in their areas of service. He will do this at the Daniel Center. Sara will support Christian business people looking to apply the Gospel to their work.

Working with Sudanese RefugeesTwo pastors from Paterson, New Jersey, worked alongside Mwaya Wa Katavi, CRWM’s Eastern and Southern Africa regional leader, to provide trauma counseling training in Kenya for Sudanese refugees.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes as a result of tribal civil wars in South Sudan. Rev. Sheila Holmes and Rev. James Staton led local church leaders in examining ways to accompany individuals or groups on their healing journey.

UPDATESMISSION

NEVER SAY NEVERA look at CRWM’s Prayer Safari through Janet’s eyes

“Love. It will not betray you, dismay you, enslave you. It will set you free.”

The lyrics and melodies of this song by Mumford and Sons captivated Vin the first time he heard them. Although Vin didn’t understand all of the words, his attentiveness to the song made CRWM missionary Justin Van Zee aware of an amazing discipleship opportunity right in his own home.

Step one for Justin was to explain the words betray, dismay, and enslave. Vin understood the rest. Step two was to briefly explain the sense of these lyrics. Step three was to listen again.

And again and again.

“We’ve been listening to that song for over a month,” said Justin. “Vin has downloaded it, and I hear him playing it sometimes when he wakes up in the morning or singing it when he comes home from work. I can text him the first half of the chorus, and he’ll text back the second half.”

These lyrics served as a launching pad for some fantastic conversations. What kind of love is Marcus Mumford singing about? Romantic love? What is the nature of true love? Does love set you free? What do you love? How do you show it? What kind of love does God intend for us to show one another?

Learning through ListeningJustin began living with Vin and three other young men in Cambodia a few months ago to create an

listening

4 • AMONG THE NATIONS

CAMBODIA

togetherJustin finds

discipleship opportunitiesin his own home

environment for discipleship and spiritual growth. He first thought this ministry would include an organized Bible study with assigned readings. But he quickly learned that his roommates had different learning styles from himself.

“I just don’t think that would work here,” said Justin. “That’s a discipleship program that would work for me. I need to think about what kind of discipleship program would work for them.”

Like much of the world’s population, the majority of Cambodians are oral communicators. This means Vin prefers listening to the Bible on audio recordings while Justin enjoys reading God’s Word. As a result, Mumford and Sons has become a part of the housemates’ unsystematic theology.

“Sure, it’s not as structured as a course at Calvin Seminary, but that’s the beauty of it too,” said Justin.

“We’re talking about these topics in the way we actually encounter them in real life.”

This lesson in oral communication is just one of many that Justin has learned while taking part in this housing experiment.

“I’m not here just to teach,” Justin said. “ I’m here to learn, to listen, and to let the light of my housemates illumine the dark places of my life. Even when I make mistakes, those too are opportunities to admit my faults and to show that I, too, am on a disciple’s journey.”

Discipleship FailOne “mistake” that Justin admits came with a request for prayer. When one of the young men asked for prayers during his job search, Justin jumped in and asked what kind of job he was looking for.

“I knew it was wrong as soon as I said it. It was a prayer request, but I wasn’t hearing it that way. I saw it as a problem that I might be able to fix. But Lyda wasn’t making his request to me. Lyda wasn’t asking me for a job. Lyda wanted to ask God, and he wanted me to enter that space and pray with him.”

Pray that as Justin continues to adjust to a different culture, he will find new ways to create fellowship with young believers in Cambodia.

LOVE.

IT WILL NOT

BETRAY YOU, DISMAY

YOU, ENSLAVE YOU. IT WILL SET

YOU FREE. BE MORE LIKE THE MAN YOU

WERE MADE TO BE.

“I’m not here just to teach, I’m

here to learn.”

WINTER 2015 • 5

6 • AMONG THE NATIONS

What would Christ’s second coming look like in an elementary classroom?

That’s the question Martha asked herself. But Martha did more than just ask the question—she made a plan to bring that vision to her classroom.

Martha’s ChallengeMartha, a teacher at Thika Road Christian School in Kenya, recently attended an Educational Care teacher training led by a CRWM missionary. Like many international teachers, Martha did not have any formal training in integrating her faith into the classroom until now.

At this training event, Martha and other attendees looked at Christ’s second coming and what it means for all creation. The words from the Bible and the lessons from this training challenged Martha in her role as a teacher.

“I desired a new heaven in our classroom,” said Martha. “I imagined how my students and I would feel and what our class environment would look like if all the practices that caused pain and sorrow were wiped away.”

Martha’s Action PlanMartha set four goals for herself. First, share the Word of God every morning before lessons began. Second, teach her students a new song to remind them about heaven. Third, encourage them to love and care for each other. Finally, hug each of her 33 students every morning as they enter the classroom. Then she put her plan into action.

The students enjoyed her changes and even adopted the song “How Beautiful Heaven Must Be” as their daily anthem. This created a relaxed, peaceful environment for teaching and learning.

After three months, Martha shared her results. “This was very successful and had a great impact on every student. Behavior and performance improved simultaneously.”

KENYA

“I desired a new heaven in our classroom”

WINTER 2015 • 7

1. YOU MIGHT HAVE TO TEACH IN THE DARK (Central America)“Don’t ever create a lesson depending on electronic technology without a back-up plan,” says a missionary in Central America, “not because the computers will fail, but because the electricity might!”

2. DIFFERENT SIGNS OF APPRECIATION (Central America)Don’t expect students to say “thank you” by putting an imported apple on your desk. Instead, look for huge, ripe mangoes and avocados as a gift of appreciation.

3. NOT ALL ENGLISH IS THE SAME (Africa)Although everyone speaks English in the classroom of a CRWM teacher in Africa, remember that there are several variations of the language, including British, Indian, and South African dialects. “Each has their own accents and unique words and phrases,” says a missionary teacher.

4. PATIENCE FROM BOTH SIDES (Asia)Despite cultural differences that sometimes cause frustration for teachers and students in international classrooms, both parties learn from one another. “I didn’t realize how much grace ESL students need not only for themselves and their beginner mistakes, but also for the teachers’,” said a teacher in Asia.

5. DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COMPETITION (Europe)A teacher in Europe was surprised to find out that many of her students had never seen or played a basketball game before. “Be careful to admitting that you once played basketball in sixth grade,” said the teacher. “You may just find yourself as the new school coach!”

5 THINGSYOU DIDN’T

REALIZE ABOUTTEACHING

INTERNATIONALLY

A Lasting ResultNow Martha plans to continue using her new skills as she teaches a different group of children:

“This was a great lesson to me, never to be forgotten but passed on to every one of my students that God gives me every year.”

Educational Care’s goal is to enhance, encourage, and strengthen schools in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. In recent months the curriculum is being translated into Korean. The Educational Care team is also working on new curriculum that will help teachers who have students with disabilities.

As Martha and other teachers take part in Educational Care training, pray that they will use the things they learn to improve Christian education worldwide.

8 • AMONG THE NATIONS

KENYA

At first glance, the church that Pastor Gideon Mbithi leads in Machakos, Kenya, might not look out of the ordinary. But then you notice them—the mango trees.

The trees are just one of many ways in which the church has experienced growth. Growth in church membership. Growth in stewardship. Growth in the mangos, oranges, and other crops that provide the church with income.

What prompted all this growth? Gideon’s strong desire to improve his pastoral skills. Like many pastors in Kenya, Gideon did not have the resources or formal training that are availiable to pastors in other lands, such as North America. Still, he has a strong desire to see his church and community thrive.

The Church’s Role in Kenya“Churches here are seen as more than a place of worship,” said Gideon. They are, “an outreach to the entire community,” said Gideon, adding that the government even gives money to many churches to help fill that role.

Knowing that his entire community looks to him as a leader, Gideon always wants to improve his leadership abilities.

That’s why he participated in a leadership training event led by Christian Reformed World Missions missionaries.

“In the beginning, we didn’t really understand how [taking the course] was going to help us,” said Gideon. “But we took it by faith, and soon we began to see results.”

Using Timothy Leadership Training materials, Gideon improved his abilities in pastoral care, preaching, and self-sustainability and stewardship. He has since become a master trainer and shares with others the skills that he has learned.

Multiplying the GrowthAfter completing a course on stewardship, Gideon involved his church members in a number of new projects to help make the church more sustainable. The people in the following examples are just four of many who have helped transform the community of Machakos after receiving training from CRWM missionaries or from “second generation” trainers like Gideon.

Leadership training is transforming communities across Kenya

WINTER 2015 • 9

(Left) Gideon Mbithi and other leaders are seeing growth in their communities and churches

10 • AMONG THE NATIONS

A Growing Bank SystemWhen Gideon asked members of his church to develop ideas for generating income, Miriam noted the community’s high level of unemployment.

Many of these people simply didn’t have the means to start businesses or apply for loans. This prompted Miriam to open a banking system at the church.

“People are learning how to save for the sake of tomorrow,” said Miriam. “Gideon can counsel you on good business practices, and people are rising out of poverty.”

Miriam sees how the entire community has benefited from new jobs and services created by these business ideas. “Our poverty level is dropping, and we thank God that our pastor took this training.”

A Growing SchoolFor years, the stagnant nursery school of Jonzaria Academy showed no signs of growth. But after Gideon gained new skills and ideas at the training event, he began working with the school’s director to expand the school’s outreach.

Today this school, built originally just for kindergarten children, reaches up to eighth grade and has more than 250 students, including more than 50 dormitory residents. The school undergoes new building projects almost every year.

Teachers at Jonzaria have seen test scores increase every year as well. Jonzaria now has the highest average test scores among the eight other schools in the area.

“We are working day and night to see these young children grow, and we are thanking the mighty God for our success,” said Shadrack Mutua, Jonzaria’s deputy headmaster.

Timothy Leadership Training• CRWM missionaries and other master trainers

use materials developed by the Timothy Leadership Training Institute (TLTI) in Africa and around the world.

• TLTI adapts its materials according to each region’s needs.

• Participants typically enroll in three separate tracks of training, each one building on the preceding track.

• All of the tracks include an action plan in which the participants find practical ways to apply their new skills. Many of the project ideas begun in Machakos, Kenya, came out of these action plans.

• After completing all three tracks, trainees can become master trainers. This usually takes a minimum of 18 months.

WINTER 2015 • 11

A Growing Pig FarmPastor Kyalo Munyao leads by example. So when he took a stewardship training course, he wanted to find his own income project that wouldn’t interfere with his pastoral work. He decided to join a member of his church in pig farming.

“We started out with four pregnant pigs,” said Kyalo. “Now we have over 50, and church members are helping us out as well. [This training] was an eye-opener in teaching the church to be self-reliant.”

Along with raising pigs, members of the church have started other farming projects and use part of the proceeds to help the community. In turn, they have seen their membership grow.

“We brought a packet of milk and sugar to one couple, and we had fellowship with them,” said Kyalo. “The following Sunday, they came to the church.”

A Growing ChurchPastor Sammy Nila has planted two churches in Kenya over the years, but with the second one his strategy changed dramatically.

At the first church he planted, Sammy used a method that he calls “open air crusades.” He entered the community with little preparation and simply called people to the Lord. Those who responded, started attending the church. “Building a church that way wasn’t easy,” said Sammy.

The thought of planting another church never crossed Sammy’s mind again until he learned the importance of pastoral care in a training event. He realized that his work would be more effective if he got to know members of the community before trying to start a church there.

“It suddenly wasn’t so hard,” said Sammy. “It’s so intimate when you’re visiting someone in Christ’s name, hearing their stories, and praying with them. This training has given me confidence to continue planting churches.”

Watch Gideon’s Story OnlineHear Gideon describe the impact that Timothy Leadership Training has had on him and his community.

http://vimeo.com/crcna/gideonsstory

12 • AMONG THE NATIONS

Jorge Hernandez crossed the international border into California when he was young. His mother worked hard to provide for him and his brother, but they were still quite poor.

Jorge, or as most people know him, “Little Gee,” remembers getting his first pair of decent shoes from one of his homeboys. He remembers how that feeling of fulfillment quickly led him to involvement in gang life. Ultimately, he remembers how God showed up in an unlikely place to turn his life around.

“God used a lifer in the prison cell next to mine,” Little Gee remembers. “This was a man who had just been sentenced to life in prison, and he was talking about love and grace. That shook me.”

A Gradual ChangeLittle Gee’s life didn’t turn around automatically after that. In fact, he used the opening pages of the Bible that this inmate gave him not for its message, but for rolling joints.

Slowly, however, Little Gee started to wonder more about what the Bible said. He even

looked for another copy when he was waiting to be deported back to Guatemala.

Back in his home country, Little Gee started attending church with his grandmother. There he met Shorty, another ex-gang member who had committed his life to sharing Christ with at-risk people in Guatemala City.

“I started going into the ghettos and sharing Jesus,” said Little Gee. “God was working in my heart through that.”

GUATEMALA

CRWM leaders pray with Little Gee

WINTER 2015 • 13

Transforming GuatemalaToday Little Gee serves as a pastor, and he is just one part of a growing network of Christian leaders in Guatemala City. CRWM missionary Joel Van Dyke founded the Center for Transforming Mission (CTM) Guatemala to help train and support leaders like Little Gee in their various outreach programs.

With help from CTM, Little Gee’s ministry has expanded beyond his work with gang members. Now he has also started an outreach program for elderly people who were living in an abandoned nursing home, and he helps his wife in her daycare ministry.

In September, Little Gee and 70 other ministry leaders attended a conference hosted by CTM that allowed ministry leaders from different denominations in Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic to learn about each other’s ministries and to apply these lessons to their own work.

“There’s a lot of tension between Protestants and Catholics in Guatemala,” Little Gee said. “When we heard that we would be hearing from a priest, we thought it was a joke . . . but then we could see that this was a man who loved Jesus.”

CRWM missionaries who serve in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria attended the event along with Little Gee and Joel Van Dyke.

“I was amazed to hear stories over and over again of God

using brokenness to bring restoration,” said Sara Ahiome, CRWM missionary to Nigeria. “It was wonderful to visit a network in a different culture and to imagine what this might look like in the context of Nigeria.”

Praise God for the growing network of leaders at CTM Guatemala. Pray that these leaders will continue to make a positive impact in their communities.

“I started going into the ghettos

and sharing Jesus,”

God is using former gang members to transform Guatemala

14 • AMONG THE NATIONS

Japan: Michael and Kim Essenburg plan to be in Grand Rapids, Michigan from early January through early July 2015. They will make visits to Tennessee in addition to being available in West Michigan.

Mexico: Scott and Marcia Geurink, who served in Tijuana, Mexico, continue to make farewell visits to their supporting churches through January 2015 from their West Olive, Michigan, home.

West Africa: Calvin and Jamie Hofland are in Lamont, Michigan, on home service to visit their Michigan supporting churches and individuals through early January 2015.

Nigeria: Andy and Linda Horlings will be in North America from late February through mid-April 2015. The bulk of their home service will be spent visiting their support base in Alberta.

Haiti: Zachary and Sharon Segaar-King will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan, through mid-February 2015 as they visit their support network. They will then be on a study assignment through early June 2015.

West Africa: Evy Smith’s home base is in Chicago, Illinois, where she will be making visits through December.

Nigeria: Case and Gremar Van Wyk are in Newaygo, Michigan, through December as they visit their churches.

West Africa: Larry and Ann Vanderaa are in Minneapolis, Minnesota through December.

Nigeria: Kathy Vanderkloet plans to reside in Ontario from March through May 2015 as she reports and shares about her ministry.

Mr. Ralph Dik passed away on August 17. Ralph and the late Celia Dik and their family served in Nigeria from 1956 to 1965. Ralph was a teacher. He is survived by his wife, Donna, four children, and their families.

Rev. Frank Sawyer passed away on September 9 from a brief battle with cancer. Frank, Aria, and their family served for 31 years. They began ministry in 1982 in Puerto Rico, then in 1985 went to Honduras, and in 1992 to Hungary. In Hungary, Frank taught at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Sarospatak. He is survived by his wife, Aria, their four children, and their families.

Mrs. Dorothy Sytsma passed away on October 31. She and her husband, Rev. Richard D. Sytsma, and their family served in Japan for 31 years. She was preceded in death by their daughter, Kathy. She is survived by her husband, Rich, their five children, and their families.

In 1919, at age 25, Johanna Veenstra became the CRC’s first international missionary. She served among the Kuteb people in Nigeria for almost 15 years.

Today, the Johanna Veenstra Missionary Support Fund helps to:

• increase the number of available missionary positions• get missionaries to the field quickly when there are

urgent ministry needs• get missionaries to the field when they have a small

support base

To learn more or to donate, visit:www.crwm.org/VeenstraFund

HOME SERVICE SCENE IN MEMORIAM

WINTER 2015 • 15

Paul and Mary Kortenhoven spent six years serving in Nigeria and 23 more training leaders in the Christian Reformed Church of Sierra Leone (CRCSL). Although they retired from the field in 2002, they have been back several times. Their thoughts are often with the people they worked with in West Africa, especially in this past year as the deadly Ebola virus affects individuals and families they love deeply.

CRWM: How has spending time and living in areas that are currently affected by the Ebola virus shaped the way you see this situation?

Paul & Mary: We are in contact with some of our friends almost daily. We spent 23 years working with wonderful Sierra Leoneans. All of our children grew up there. All of us speak the language and share their grief. They are our friends, relatives. Four of our dear friends have died from Ebola, and two of the three who remain in this family are being treated in an Ebola center. Just ask yourself how you would feel if your parents, your whole family, your friends, and your hometown were being threatened by death. Then you have an inkling of how we think.

CRWM: What are some other effects of the virus for the people you have talked to and others in Sierra Leone?

Paul & Mary: The harvest season has begun, and there are few to harvest the rice, so hunger is a big and growing problem. Foreign investment has virtually stopped, and most ships are not allowed to unload their much needed cargoes. The economy of the country is collapsing, and the recovery from this Ebola epidemic will take longer and be more difficult than the recovery from the recent 12-year civil war. Sierra Leone was experiencing an annual economic growth rate that was the highest in Africa . . . Now that rate is zero.

CRWM: Are there any specific people or groups that you would like us to pray for?

Paul & Mary: Prayers are needed for every aspect in this crisis. For the CRCSL, for all its members and leadership, for the work of CRWM and World Renew, of course—but this is so much bigger than just our work. The CRCSL has lost two pastors and several members in the south. People throughout the land live in fear and cannot travel outside their villages. The government does not have the capability medically or economically to deal with this crisis. And the international community is two months late in the response needed to stop this epidemic. Check the pleas for help from those on the ground in affected countries—all are “begging” for a much more robust response to the crisis.

ALUMNI CORNER

EBOLA EDITION

Paul and Mary during their service in the 90’s

CRWM USA1700 28th Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49508-1407800-346-0075

www.crwm.org

Non-profit org.US Postage

PaidGrand Rapids, MI

Permit 149

S A L TApril 27-May 7, 2015

Join SALT (Service And Learning Team) Egypt: • Serve Egypt’s people• See ancient sites• Learn about Scripture• Grow in your faith

CRWM.org/EgyptSALT